When I was growing up, I remember many people referring to the month of August as the “lazy days of summer.” It must be true because Aug. 10 is National Lazy Day, although no president has actually proclaimed it a “holiday.”

Lazy can be good once in a while or it can be a sinister human flaw. For instance, one of my pet peeves is the perfect example of laziness. It drives me crazy that people cannot take an extra step or two to walk their grocery carts to the “corrals.” If you can walk in and out of the grocery store, even with children in tow, you can manage to return the cart. What about the person who leaves the cart in the middle of a parking space? That is not only lazy, it’s rude.

On the opposite side of lazy (sort of) is a society that is always in a hurry — another pet peeve of mine. We are an impatient bunch, and it’s a cultural thing instigated by commerce. Get an oil change in 20 minutes, or it’s free; fast food; frozen dinners; WiFi; pre-Black Friday sales: Progress is good, but must our obsession with “fast” or “immediate” create an unfriendly and hostile atmosphere? The other day, I was standing in line at the post office. I was next in line for service, and there were just three people behind me. I heard the woman at the end of the line say, “This wait is ridiculous!” Really. Try standing in line with your kids at Elitch Gardens, but we should expect that, right. Maybe we could think of standing in line as getting to know our neighbors.

August is the last of summer, so I think I am going to take a lazy day — one without work, anyway. What will I do? Maybe I’ll shop online because, you know, it’s fast! Or maybe I’ll go to Wendy’s for lunch because it’s so much faster than cooking. Or maybe I’ll go to the post office and strike up conversations with the people in line. Or maybe I’ll just hang out at Safeway, and police people and their carts.

Well, that’s it for me. It’s all just food for thought, and there is plenty else to think about as you read this month’s articles in The New Falcon Herald. Take your time reading!